What Did I Miss?: December 2022

Published Works

New ‘Bad Batch’ Trailer Teases Action Packed, High Stakes Second Season – For The Nerds of Color, I give a glimpse at what’s to come from the upcoming season of the latest “Star Wars” animated series.

Bad Axe Director David Siev on the Making of His American Dream – For Mixed Asian Media, I speak with the director of this potential Oscar contender about how this series of home videos eventually morphed into the highly talked about documentary.

Thoughts and Reactions to Watching ‘John Wick’ For the First Time – For The Nerds of Color, I layout what was going through my head as I watched this Keanu Reeves-led flick for the first time.

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What Did I Miss?: October 2022

Published Works

Review of Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala – For Goodreads, I dive into my impressions on the latest installment from Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series.

New Documentary ‘Rising Against Asian Hate’ Captures An Unprecedented Moment – For the Center for Asian American Media, I spoke with the filmmakers of this very important, upcoming documentary.

Background and Filler Stories Unfold in ‘Tales of the Jedi’ – For The Nerds of Color, I discuss my thoughts about this new anthology series set within the “Star Wars” universe.

Appearances

ShoPowSho 104: ‘Dasig’ Creators Kristian Kabuay and Lauren Lola! – My collaborator and I chat with host Patrick Michael Strange a.k.a. Kuya P on the making of our graphic novel-in-progress.

Exploring Authentic Stories at the Filipino American International Book Festival

For reasons predictable by now, it’s been a hot minute since I last was at a book festival; whether as an attendee or as a participant. To have seen book conventions like BookExpo shut down in recent years, as well as a recent surge in book banning in different parts of the country, books feel particularly precious now more than ever — especially those authored by historically underrepresented communities.

What Did I Miss?: September 2022

Published Works

Review of Holiday Heroine by Sarah Kuhn – For Goodreads, I give a brief take on the final installment of this Asian American superheroine series.

Review of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford – For Goodreads, I provide a short glimpse at my thoughts on the latest novel from this New York Times Bestselling author.

Twenty Years After “Whale Rider,” There’s Still Much to Love – In a cross post for JoySauce and Mixed Asian Media, I acknowledge the 20th anniversary of this highly celebrated New Zealand film and dive into why it means so much to me. (The version on Mixed Asian Media, titled “Finding Representation and Meaning in Whale Rider,” can be read here.)

The Quality of Asian Representation in ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5 – For The Nerds of Color, I analyze in depth how well the Asian characters were written in the latest season of the Netflix series.

Check out Mixed Asian Media Fest 2022!

Hey everyone! So clearly, I am posting this a few days earlier than I normally would on my blog, but the reason why is aside from this weekend being busy, the subject in which I’m addressing officially kicks off today.

What Did I Miss?: August 2022

Published Works

New Looks and Release Date for ‘Andor’ – For The Nerds of Color, I share the new glimpses and news of the postponed release date for the upcoming “Star Wars” live-action series.

Samantha Futerman’s ‘From Here’ Explores Anti-Asian Hate From Korean Adoptee’s Lens – For The Nerds of Color, I spotlight this thoughtful and important short film from this Korean American actor and filmmaker.

Review of The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C. Yee – For Goodreads, I give a brief rundown on my thoughts about the latest novel set in the world of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

Dino-Ray Ramos Looks at Favorite Shows Through Fresh Eyes in New ‘Problematic Fave’ Podcast – For the Center for Asian American Media, I speak with the host of this new podcast about how it came to be, the discussion held in each episode, and long-term goals for it.

Livestreams

“Dasig” IG Live with Kristian Kabuay – Due to technical difficulties from last month, Kristian and I redo our conversation about our graphic novel-in-progress, this time for Instagram.

“Dasig” IG Live with Mixed Asian Media – I talk about the making of “Dasig” and the significance it holds for me with my friend and MAM chief editor, Alex Chester.

Final Hours of the Kickstarter for “Dasig”

As quick as it began, we are now nearing the endgame. As of this writing, we have just about a day and a half remaining of the Kickstarter campaign for Dasig; a Filipino martial arts graphic novel I am writing about a young warrior-in-training who’s struggling to focus on her pursuits when invaders from an unknown land threaten to take over.

Remembering the Summer of Inspiration

Social media reminders of posts and moments that occurred a number of years ago have reminded me that it’s now been a whopping decade since – what I call – the summer of inspiration. In 2012, two distinct occurrences happened that summer that ultimately inspired me to start taking my creative writing more seriously.

Hype Up for AAPINH Heritage Month

Not going to lie, this Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian Heritage Month has been off to a really rough start. From our faith in humanity continuously being shattered by people who want to take some of our rights away, to some sad news happening in my personal life, it’s harder than usual for me to multi-task as of late.

In Collaboration with This Asian American Life: The Making of “My Journey with Journals”

So as I had mentioned last week, I have never written a comic book or a graphic novel before… but as of this week, I can say that I have written a web comic. I teased this project back in February, but for those who missed it, on Thursday, my collaboration with This Asian American Life (TAAL) was released, in the form of a comic commemorating 20 years of journaling called “My Journey with Journals.”